GDT: Stars @ Sabres - Tue Feb 6, 2024, 7:00 pm ET MSG, ESPN+ BSSWX 📺 WGR 📻

[Thorner]

9 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

This "young" excuse has carrried on for far too long. Skinner isn't young. Okposo is old. Thompson's been in the league for several years, that's your "top" line right now. Cozens has been in the league several years. It holds for Benson and maybe Peterka but Mitts, Greenway and Tuch have all been in the league for many years now. Girgs is old. Writing all this off as "they're young" is just BS. 

It's on the coaching and the way they are teaching the team to play. Proper hockey should have been driven into them in training camp and it should be a standard they are held to. Age has nothing to do with it. Dallas has young guys too, but they make them play the right way. 

But yes, easy shots from low danger areas has been an issue for years and still is. 

Easy solution: get even *younger* next year. No one could possibly claim it’s not an excuse, then 

Edited February 7 by Thorny

[Weave]

42 minutes ago, Thorny said:

Easy solution: get even *younger* next year. No one could possibly claim it’s not an excuse, then 

Frickin genius.  Wish KA would think of it.

Wait…..

[Thorner]

absurd. Wrong thread, don’t care: people need to see

the once affordable food champion of the people has turned its back on us 

[Pimlach]

Wait ... I am supposed to not hate losing, hate not losing?  Not lose hating? 

 

[#freejame]

5 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

Wait ... I am supposed to not hate losing, hate not losing?  Not lose hating? 

 

You’re supposed to hate losing…

[Mango]

2 hours ago, Thorny said:

Easy solution: get even *younger* next year. No one could possibly claim it’s not an excuse, then 

Why does it feel like this could be a real conversation with Kevyn Adam's?

[HOUSE]

1 hour ago, Thorny said:

absurd. Wrong thread, don’t care: people need to see

the once affordable food champion of the people has turned its back on us 

[Thorner]

2 hours ago, Mango said:

Why does it feel like this could be a real conversation with Kevyn Adam's?

[MattPie]

3 hours ago, Thorny said:

absurd. Wrong thread, don’t care: people need to see

the once affordable food champion of the people has turned its back on us 

Man, it'd be terrible if McD's got so expensive that people turned to eating food that isn't terrible for their health. 🙂

[Wyldnwoody44]

7 hours ago, #freejame said:

I like that you get a Woody when you think of me 

Did someone say Woody.... 😏

[Gatorman0519]

6 hours ago, pi2000 said:

 

This matches the eye test.

The Stars are an experienced team, they know how to score in his league (traffic, secondary chances).   

On the otherhand, the Sabres young stars still believe they can snipe unscreened goalies from everywhere on the ice.     

Sure they put up 50 shots, but 95% of them are easy saves at this level.

They'd score more goals by passing up those low percentage shots and instead look for ways to get more pucks and bodies to the high danger area.  

I had said that earlier just by the eye test. Good to see data back that up. It was not as dominating and one sided as many are saying. 

[TageMVP]

14 minutes ago, Gatorman0519 said:

I had said that earlier just by the eye test. Good to see data back that up. It was not as dominating and one sided as many are saying. 

It absolutely was dominated by the Sabres, at least to me. 

These guys have proven time and time again that they can skate circles around the opponent but they have to go for the highlight reel top shelf fancy goal. 

I'm sick of seeing Power and Dahlin make an extra stick handle, then looking exactly where they're going to shoot (high always) thus allowing the goalie an extra second to prepare his stance. That's the problem. Fancy or nothin 

Which is extremely coachable to me. How has Granato not yanked Power by the ear and said stop over thinking every single aspect? And if he has, and the team does not listen, it's STILL Granatos fault. 

How he's still the coach is beyond my comprehension. 

Along with all the other assistant idiots 

[Archie Lee]

7 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

This "young" excuse has carried on for far too long. Skinner isn't young. Okposo is old. Thompson's been in the league for several years, that's your "top" line right now. Cozens has been in the league several years. It holds for Benson and maybe Peterka but Mitts, Greenway and Tuch have all been in the league for many years now. Girgs is old. Writing all this off as "they're young" is just BS. 

It's on the coaching and the way they are teaching the team to play. Proper hockey should have been driven into them in training camp and it should be a standard they are held to. Age has nothing to do with it. Dallas*** has young guys too, but they make them play the right way. 

But yes, easy shots from low danger areas has been an issue for years and still is. 

Of the 10 youngest teams in the NHL to start the season, only the Flyers currently occupy a playoff position.  Of the 7 oldest, only Carolina and Dallas*** (who, yes, like all NHL teams, "has young guys") are currently in playoff position.

https://media.nhl.com/site/vasset/public/attachments/2023/10/17309/By The Numbers 2023-24 Opening-Day Rosters.pdf

In a year where there should be no excuse for the Sabres to not be actively trying to make the playoffs, there is really no excuse for the team to be as young and inexperienced as they are.  They had cap and assets available to bring in veteran players at key positions and chose not too (a point you have made and that I acknowledge you are correct on).  There is no denying though that they are young and that they are not the only young NHL team that is struggling; indeed, nearly all of them are.

That's not to say it's an outright excuse for poor play.  Surely, though, there is a reasonable balance that can be found between acknowledging that youth and inexperience are factors in the team's inconsistent performance and making a blanket statement that the Sabres are too young?

 

 

[Cityo'Rasmii]

Are we maybe just maybe still in development, KA?? Can you give us an update?? We'd like to know what your current strategy is at this juncture in the season.

And absolutely no disrespect to Kyle or Zemgus (love 'em), but why KA haven't you brought in any veterans who've truly been there to mentor our young players and bolster our roster??  I want to believe you have tried...Are there budget constraints from above and your hands are tied, or are you still learning how to negotiate deals or both??

We love our team and want to know!

go Sabres

my team makes me drink, still

(with all due respect, prepared for @JohnC to provide us with an academic response)

Edited February 8 by Cityo'Rasmii

[Cityo'Rasmii]

56 minutes ago, seer775 said:

UPL kept us in the game there. So many boneheaded, lackadaisical plays made that I lost count watching the highlight reel. Cozens and EJ on the first Stars goal, Okposo and Power (on the second); all not knowing where they are or where they are supposed to be.

TT, Skinner, Benson, Dahlin, and Cozens all making Oettinger's highlight reel shine with blocker saves.

Not a good show by the swords.

 

all fair observations, seer

[PerreaultForever]

5 hours ago, Archie Lee said:

Of the 10 youngest teams in the NHL to start the season, only the Flyers currently occupy a playoff position.  Of the 7 oldest, only Carolina and Dallas*** (who, yes, like all NHL teams, "has young guys") are currently in playoff position.

https://media.nhl.com/site/vasset/public/attachments/2023/10/17309/By The Numbers 2023-24 Opening-Day Rosters.pdf

In a year where there should be no excuse for the Sabres to not be actively trying to make the playoffs, there is really no excuse for the team to be as young and inexperienced as they are.  They had cap and assets available to bring in veteran players at key positions and chose not too (a point you have made and that I acknowledge you are correct on).  There is no denying though that they are young and that they are not the only young NHL team that is struggling; indeed, nearly all of them are.

That's not to say it's an outright excuse for poor play.  Surely, though, there is a reasonable balance that can be found between acknowledging that youth and inexperience are factors in the team's inconsistent performance and making a blanket statement that the Sabres are too young?

 

 

idk, you take Benson out and put a 30+ vet in, you go up a half year plus in age right there. 

The real point, that I think we would agree on, is there is a lack of solid veteran leadership to go with these younger guys and that hurts the team as a whole. 

 

[inkman]

So the NHL takes a week off for the All-Star game then the Sabres have a 5 day break after one game played?  Ok…..

[Weave]

16 minutes ago, inkman said:

So the NHL takes a week off for the All-Star game then the Sabres have a 5 day break after one game played?  Ok…..

Just think of all the games in hand we’ll have to not make up any ground with.

 

Upon re-read, my goodness is that sentence a grammatical mess.

Edited February 8 by Weave

[Norcal]

5 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

idk, you take Benson out and put a 30+ vet in, you go up a half year plus in age right there. 

The real point, that I think we would agree on, is there is a lack of solid veteran leadership to go with these younger guys and that hurts the team as a whole. 

 

They have vets.

Just none with playoff experience, or what it takes to make them, to lean on. 

[CallawaySabres]

1 hour ago, inkman said:

So the NHL takes a week off for the All-Star game then the Sabres have a 5 day break after one game played?  Ok…..

They will be 15 points out of 8th next time they play. Granato is actually proving to be a worse coach than Krueger. You really can’t make this stuff up.

[SwampD]

12 hours ago, Gatorman0519 said:

I had said that earlier just by the eye test. Good to see data back that up. It was not as dominating and one sided as many are saying. 

Absolutely.

12 hours ago, TageMVP said:

It absolutely was dominated by the Sabres, at least to me. 

These guys have proven time and time again that they can skate circles around the opponent but they have to go for the highlight reel top shelf fancy goal. 

I'm sick of seeing Power and Dahlin make an extra stick handle, then looking exactly where they're going to shoot (high always) thus allowing the goalie an extra second to prepare his stance. That's the problem. Fancy or nothin 

Which is extremely coachable to me. How has Granato not yanked Power by the ear and said stop over thinking every single aspect? And if he has, and the team does not listen, it's STILL Granatos fault. 

How he's still the coach is beyond my comprehension. 

Along with all the other assistant idiots 

Not to me, at all. Good teams don’t skate around other teams, they skate through them, and the Sabres just don’t do that. With all that “domination”, I can’t think of a single save by their goalie that wasn’t routine.

I agree with the extra move giving goalies time, though. It’s painful to watch, because you know the play is there.

1 hour ago, Weave said:

Just think of all the games in hand we’ll have to not make up any ground with.

 

Upon re-read, my goodness is that sentence a grammatical mess.

I liked it.

[Stoner]

1 hour ago, Weave said:

Just think of all the games in hand we’ll have to not make up any ground with.

 

Upon re-read, my goodness is that sentence a grammatical mess.

For anyone willing to read it six times, there's a gem to be had.

[MattPie]

3 hours ago, Norcal said:

They have vets.

Just none with playoff experience, or what it takes to make them, to lean on. 

[sabrefanday1]

Next night Leafs beat the Stars with less shots, mor goals and going 3 for 3 on power play. And for my money the leafs stink especially on defense and goaltending but find a way to beat the Stars...

[Norcal]

39 minutes ago, MattPie said:

Ahh yes. The great defensive leader that was gonna challenge the Sabres to be more responsible defensively.